The Invisible Haze
Stratford-upon-Avon....
As the sun begins to set, Stratford transforms into a beautiful dream. A futuristic skyline with tall, gleaming glass buildings seems to touch the sky. On one side, the bright lights of the Westfield mall show the lively, energetic side of the city. On the other side, the lush green grounds of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its quietly flowing waterways bring a peaceful stillness to the air. The red, twisting ArcelorMittal Orbit stands tall against the sky, looking like a piece of modern art.
But there is something else special about Stratford. It is the birthplace of the great William Shakespeare. They say that love hides in every corner of this town, and the very air smells of romance.
Yet, inside a quiet room in this city of love, a girl is crying bitterly....
She was sitting on the bed, staring at the phone. Tears were streaming down her face, completely blurring her vision. Her chest felt tight, and her breath was coming in short, panicked gasps.
Suddenly, a loud, sharp voice knocked on her door from outside.
"Maddy! What on earth are you doing in there? You’ve been inside for ages. You’re going to be late for college!"
Instantly, her tears froze. She took a deep breath, wiped her face quickly, and forced her voice to sound completely normal as if nothing had happened....
"I’m just finishing up, Mom! Leaving in five minutes!" She called out.
Now, you must be wondering: How did a girl who was just sobbing her heart out become so perfectly normal in a split second?
Let me introduce. The girl crying on the bed is me, Madeline Hayes. I am a second-year student at Avonford University, and everyone calls me Maddy....
My family is a bit different from others. We don’t show love with warm hugs or sweet words; instead, we communicate through rude comments and cold silence. Don't get me wrong, my family members are actually very nice and polite but only to outsiders. With guests, we are angels. But when it’s just us, we barely look at each other. My parents have a very traditional, old-school mindset. In our house, sharing your mental health struggles or feelings is like inviting trouble. And my younger brother? We live in two completely different worlds; we don't care what the other is doing.
So, now you know why I changed my tone so fast. I cannot afford to show my emotions to my family. I never know when my vulnerability will backfire on me. My golden rule in life is simple.....
"No matter how big your problem is, keep your family out of it."
But wait, I haven't even told you why I was crying like my world had ended. For that, we need to rewind the clock by two hours....
Today is the 27th of July. It’s a very important day because it’s my boyfriend Alex’s birthday. Alex is five years older than me and works at a high-tech company. Ever since we patched up after our last breakup, this was our first big milestone together. I was bursting with excitement.
I woke up extra early this morning with a huge smile on my face. Before doing anything else, I wanted to call him and be the first to wish him. With a racing heart, I dialed his number....
The phone rang, but then a cold, automated voice spoke: "The person you have dialed is currently busy on another call."
My smile faded a little. He was talking to someone else. I knew he must have seen my name flashing on his screen. But there was no response, no call back. Usually, even if he is on a call with me, the moment any of his friends call, he puts me on hold to answer them. But he didn't do that for me today.
Should I be angry? I asked myself....
No, Maddy, don't be silly, I reasoned. It’s his birthday. He must be getting hundreds of calls from people wishing him. It's fine. He will call me when he’s free.
To distract myself, I went to freshen up. When I came back and checked my phone still nothing. No missed calls, no messages....
Trying to calm my overthinking mind, I climbed onto my bed and opened Instagram. I wanted to see his birthday stories and see who was wishing him. But when I opened his official profile, there was absolutely nothing. No stories pinned, no tags.
My heart sank. A popular guy like Alex has so many friends. How could no one post a story for him? My curiosity turned into a strange, uneasy feeling. Our relationship is still a secret, known only to a few people, so I couldn't just message his friends directly.
But I had a backup plan. I have a fake Instagram account that I created for one reason only to stalk him. I know, I know. Stalking is wrong. But what choice did I have? He had already left me once before to go back to his ex-girlfriend. I couldn't take another risk. As they say, all is fair in love and war.....
I logged into my fake ID and began scrolling through his friends' profiles. Yes, his friends had posted stories, but Alex hadn't reposted them on his main account yet. As I kept scrolling through his 'Following' list, a specific girl's username caught my eye.
She was his colleague from his office. I remembered him talking about her before. I saw a glowing red circle around her profile picture she had uploaded a story.....
My thumb hovered over her profile. Should I look? She's just a colleague. If she posted something, it must be a simple birthday wish, right?
Taking a deep breath, I clicked on the story.
And my entire world stopped spinning.
I went into a state of total shock. My eyes widened, and the phone almost slipped from my cold hands. For a second, I cursed myself. Why did I open it? Why did I have to look?
My heart rate went through the roof. My lungs felt empty, and I gasped for air, feeling a massive anxiety attack taking over my body.....
In the picture, Alex was standing close to that girl. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, and they were kissing each other passionately on the lips. Across the screen, written in big, bold letters with a heart emoji, were the words: "Happy Birthday, My Love!"
"No... please, no," I whispered to the empty room, my voice cracking. "Not again. Please not again."
I tried to pull myself together, but the agonizing pain in my chest quickly turned into white-hot anger. With shaking fingers, I took a screenshot of the story. I opened WhatsApp, attached the photo, and typed: "Happy Birthday, Alex. And here is your birthday gift."
Alex wasn't online, so the messages only showed a single tick. Impatient and furious, I called his number directly. He answered on the second ring.
"Maddy? Hey, babe—"
"I sent you a birthday gift on WhatsApp," I interrupted, my voice dangerously calm, cutting through his fake sweetness. "Open it. Right now."
Hearing the coldness in my voice, he immediately checked the chat.....
Within seconds, my phone rang again. It was him. For a moment, I didn't want to answer. I just wanted to disappear. But I needed answers. I swiped up to accept the call.
"Alex, explain this," I demanded, tears finally spilling over. "Why? Why did you do this to me again?"
"Maddy, listen to me, you're misunderstanding!" he stammered, his voice laced with panic. "That picture... that's old! It's from the time when we had broken up. Trust me, it means nothing now!"
He lied. He lied straight to my face without a single shred of shame.
But this wasn't the first time he had broken my heart, and the fragile trust I had rebuilt was now permanently dead....
"Don't lie to me, Alex. Just... don't," I choked out.
Before he could say another word, I slammed the end-call button. And then, I fell back onto my bed, burying my face in the pillow, and began to cry till my throat burned.
And well, after that, you already know what happened. My mom called out, and I had to lock my broken pieces behind a fake smile.
They say a dog's tail can never be straightened, no matter how hard you try. Cheating guys are exactly the same. They never change. Betrayal is simply in their nature.....
